An Outsider's Obituary

[Y]ou have met the phenomenon of an Inner Ring. You discovered one in your house at school before the end of the first term. And when you had climbed up to somewhere near it by the end of your second year, perhaps you discovered that within the ring there was a Ring yet more inner, which in its turn was the fringe of the great school Ring to which the house Rings were only satellites. It is even possible that the school ring was almost in touch with a Masters’ Ring. You were beginning, in fact, to pierce through the skins of an onion. And here, too, at your University—shall I be wrong in assuming that at this very moment, invisible to me, there are several rings—independent systems or concentric rings—present in this room? And I can assure you that in whatever hospital, inn of court, diocese, school, business, or college you arrive after going down, you will find the Rings.

  C.S. Lewis, The Inner Ring.


   Although until I was writing this blog I had never read "The Inner Ring", I think that Lewis and myself have been in complete agreement. An Insider's Guide to being In was a slightly cynical glance at the social 'circles' which Lewis uncovered in his book.

   Why do we all seek out these cliques and desire so passionately to gain acceptance and equality amongst their members? These special groups can hardly been considered as 'good' or 'kind'- all they seem to do is to isolate the poor people not involved- the 'outsiders'. 
   In fact if you read the bible you will find that Jesus was a real clique-breaker. He ate with both the rich and the poor, the religious and the irreligious, the moral and the wicked, the tax collector and the pharisee. He cared little for the respect or admiration of his contemporaries, rather he spoke the truth without fear. The Gospel of Mark gives us this account:

John said to him [that is, Jesus], “Teacher, we saw someone casting out demons in your name, and we tried to stop him, because he was not following us.” But Jesus said, “Do not stop him, for no one who does a mighty work in my name will be able soon afterward to speak evil of me. For the one who is not against us is for us. 

How about that? When the disciples saw an 'outsider' who claimed to be doing his stuff in Jesus' name they were outraged! How dare he pretend to be a badge-carrying member of the 'Jesus Followers'. What right did he have to assume to their level?!
   Jesus, on the other hand, accepted him and silenced his disciples. He wasn't out to build cliques.


   So why do we all crave the acceptance and respect which comes with being part of 'the inner circle'? May I humbly suggest an answer? Our desire to be one of the selected few comes from the burning of our consciences. Our knowledge, deep down, that we are fallen and imperfect; the knowledge that, if truth be told, we are unworthy of even the slightest affection or friendship; that we are selfish beings. Maybe attaining 'the inner circle' will give us a sense of worth and acceptance? To be chosen for something is a great honour- it means that we are worthy in some way- surely? To be chosen means that we 'made the grade', while other (less worthy persons) have fallen behind us. 
   Maybe I exaggerate, maybe our motives are much purer. And of course, friendships and close relationships are good (when not twisted or warped from their true purpose). But, as Lewis says, if one approaches a 'ring' with the wrong motives, and attain their entrance through 'dodgy deals' or by 'turning a blind eye' (etc. etc.) then idolatry has taken root.

I believe that in all men’s lives at certain periods, and in many men’s lives at all periods between infancy and extreme old age, one of the most dominant elements is the desire to be inside the local Ring and the terror of being left outside.

Lewis continues to tell of how this desire (especially when you are on the brink of becoming an 'insider') can lead to compromising one's principles and morals. He paints a sorry picture. 

It is the very mark of a perverse desire that it seeks what is not to be had. The desire to be inside the invisible line illustrates this rule. As long as you are governed by that desire you will never get what you want. You are trying to peel an onion: if you succeed there will be nothing left. Until you conquer the fear of being an outsider, an outsider you will remain.

In his lecture, Lewis concludes with the thought that when you lay aside the worry of these 'rings' and work for work's own sake, and become friends with people who you are comfortable around, simply because you like them, then you can gain a happiness that no inner ring can provide. 
    But is the act of merely ignoring these cliques enough? Can one really cast off the shackles that bind one and walk free? I am not so sure. Why? Because these shackles are deeper than we fear. If, as I have suggested, the desire for acceptance comes from a deeper knowledge of one's own sin and unworthiness, then merely ignoring the means by which one can feel 'worthy' (or the means which one thinks will lead to feeling worthy) will be like shooting yourself in the foot. Does this mean that we are destined either to strive for an acceptance that we cannot achieve or to give up entirely and wallow in self-despair? 
    No, because the bible contains the Good News of Jesus Christ! God knew, before he had even made us, that we would sin and rebel wickedly against him. So he prepared his own son to come and live on earth, to be killed and to die (unlawfully and unfairly) and to rise from the grave! In doing so, Jesus paid the price for our wrongs. On that cross he bore every wicked and evil thing that we have done. Through his death and resurrection we are accepted by the Lord God. When God looks on his people he doesn't see wicked sinners, who are unworthy of anything good, but he sees the righteousness of Jesus!! Every diseased and sick person that Jesus healed, we healed; every widow and orphan that Jesus comforted, we comforted; everyone who was blessed by Jesus, we blessed. Do you see how amazing this is?! Through the Lord Jesus Christ we can have acceptance! We can be 'in' as it was truly meant to be! 
    Jesus said "Ask and it shall be given unto you, seek and you shall find." Jesus died to set his people free, all they need do is confess their sin and ask him for forgiveness. 
    


    Do you really want to remain an 'outsider'? 

Come now, let us reason together, says the Lord:

though your sins are like scarlet,

they shall be as white as snow;

though they are red like crimson,

they shall become like wool.

An Insiders Guide to being In

Chapter 1, Introduction,


Welcome.

   You have arrived here (wherever or whatever 'here' may apply to) by various means and diverse manners, and now desire to be accepted, recognised and praised by your new found colleagues (keep reading and maybe one day, in the fulness of time, they will become "friends").
   Unfortunately for you, and everyone else on this earth, acceptance does not come easy. Much like our late-dog, Josie, who was on the alert after the introduction of new chickens into the garden social world, humans are wary of new arrivals in their own social and occupational environments.
   Right now you are probably hoping for a safe, stable and generally unspectacular position amongst your group; however in the few short months it will take for you to back-stab and elbow your way 'in' greater ambitions will have surfaced. For now we shall content ourselves with acquiring initial acceptance; respect and power will follow soon enough.




Chapter Two, Choices,


   Of course, most larger groups have multiple cliques and layers that must be plotted and navigated before one can begin to rise up the social ladder*.
   Let us take a common example: School.
   When arriving at a new school, friendless and alone, one must examine and define the various groups 'in play'. In intelligence gathering if one cannot identify the rival factions or parties which have an interest in the situation at hand then precise and concise communication and control cannot be faithfully achieved. Likewise your first priority must be to pinpoint who and what you are likely to come into contact with- forewarned is forearmed.
   So, where to start? As a general rule (see High School Musical to confirm) schools are divided as follows:

The Rebellious
The Cool Crowd
The Sporty
The Creative
The Geeks
[The Nerds]
The Limbos

   This, although an abridged list, will cover the majority of sects or factions you might come across, broadly speaking.
   As a newcomer you are, by default, a 'Limbo'. Some poor souls, myself included, strived for many a year to leave this group but with little success. The Limbos are a very outward looking band, most intent on moving to another social circle; it follows therefore that to achieve recognition and success amongst them you must actually have to leave them. This paradox has led to the limbos having a rapidly moving demograph, the incoming roughly matching the outgoing.
   Having identified the various parties, and their membership, one now has to decide which group he or she should aim for. Some people are simply destined for one party or another. Others however are more difficult to place at first. Various incentives, probabilities and points of concern must be considered- do not consider for too long however, for fear of being permanently labeled as a Limbo.
   One may, in time, become the head of their particular faction, however in the wider context, some factions are automatically higher on the social scale than others. It might be easy to rise to the lofty heights of Chief Nerd, but you are still lower than the lowest Cool Guy. This all must be carefully considered.

*Of course, some groups or clubs are single-faction institutions (i.e. Churches or Communist Dictatorships) In these situations being initially accepted is the easy part, you are a member of the faction simply by attending the group. However rising up the ladder can be much more difficult as the competition and stakes are higher.

Once your decision has been made and the die cast you must begin to contemplate your "in"...



Chapter Three, The "in",


   The simplest way to gain entrance into a faction is to display some form of prowess in their chosen field. Lets examine the High School case study again:
   To enter the sporty or the creative groups one could show great skill at basketball or at acting shakespeare respectively. However, often a better way to make a big splash is to reverse the audience. Allow me to explain: imagine a new arrival playing basketball inside the school theatre during a drama lesson, or another arrival singing 'Pirates of Penzance' during a stint as team goalie! When their desired faction hears of their brazen exploits right in the faces of a rival faction, they will be falling over themselves to invite the newcomer in!
   If you find yourself lacking in abilities or skills then another tactic, or "in", is to befriend one of the lower ranking pawns in the group. They will be eager to gain status by 'recruiting' a newcomer and will not be as picky or cautious as their overlords might be. Play hard-to-get while boasting of your skills in the desired area (creativity, sports etc.) and hopefully the pawn will take the bait. Once you are attached to them, it will be child's play to gain acceptance amongst the lower echelons of the faction.
   As a final resort one could always attempt to trail around behind a faction-member every hour of the day until they give in and admit you to the group (not to be attempted if the faction or member has a violent or rebellious temperament!)



Chapter Three, The Heirachy,


   By now you will have began to form a rudimentary idea of who does what, when and where. Schools, workplaces, youth groups, government and churches all have hierarchies, wether formal or informal, of some sort. Your next priority must be to map out who are the movers and shakers. Who wields the real power? If you can do your stuff on the Big-wigs then all the rest will need no persuading to respect you- this is much quicker than ingratiating yourself one pawn at a time.
   Of course, for the leadership to even acknowledge your assistance, you must already be an 'insider' (see Chapters 2 and 3). Outsiders cannot, by definition, become movers and shakers.
   This stage of the game cannot be rushed, one must become fully acquainted with the ins and outs of group management. If, as is likely, the boss is too big a target, then you must select another major player on which to attach yourself. They can act as a stepping stone to bigger things. Try not to aim for someone whos expertise or contacts you might later need, as this could get very messy very quickly.
   Once your target is acquired you can begin the moves.....

To be continued.......